Statistics reveal that people who suffer from mental illnesses are at higher risk for nicotine addiction, are more likely to smoke cigarettes and find it harder to quit.
It's estimated that smoking accounts for 443,000 deaths annually in the United States. All people who quit smoking have immediate health benefits such as reducing the risk of heart attack, stroke, and cancer of the throat, esophagus and bladder. Studies show that the risk of dying from lung cancer drops by half, ten years after quitting.
Although people with mental illness may want to quit, there are some factors that make it less likely for them to follow through with that goal. People with mental illness are more likely to have low income and lack health insurance and health care. Direct tobacco marketing is often geared towards vulnerable groups of society, including people with mental illness.
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) reported Tuesday that the smoking rate of adults in America was higher among those who suffered from mental illness. According to the report, 36% of adults with mental illness smoke, compared to 21% of adults with no mental illness.
The data was gathered and analyzed during 2009-2011 from SAMHSA's National Survey on Drug Use and Health. An individual suffering from mental illness is defined as having a diagnosable mental, behavioral or emotional disorder, not including developmental and substance abuse disorders.
"More must be done to help this population break free of tobacco," said CDC Director Dr. Thomas Frieden in a news release. "Smokers with mental illness, like other smokers, want to quit and can quit. Stop-smoking treatments work and it's important to make them more available to all people who want to quit."
The report suggests that more attention is required for mentally ill people who want to quit smoking. Counseling and stop smoking medicines may be beneficial in increasing the chance of quitting. The report urges that smoke-free policies should be implemented at mental health facilities as part of as part of the treatment and wellness program.
"Special efforts are needed to raise awareness about the burden of smoking among people with mental illness and to monitor progress in addressing this disparity," SAMHSA Administrator Pamela Hyde said in the news release.
